El Salar de Uyuni

We took a bus from Potosí to Uyuni, lured by the famous Salar (salt flats). We spent three days touring the Salar and the nearby deserts by jeep, with four other tourists: John, the child aid worker from Ireland; Alex, the young high finance dude from England; Erwin, the Dutch guy with the loud voice; and Gustavo, the Argentinian geographer. Running the show were Julieta, the surly cook, and Juan, the driver, who alternated a pumpin' eighties mix tape with Andean music - pan pipes featured prominently.

The landscapes were surreal beyond anything we'd seen so far. We drove through desolate stretches of red, orange, and yellow deserts, saw lagoons full of flamingos, bizarre rock formations, vicuñas (wild llama-like things), and of course, many snow capped mountains (everpresent in the west of Bolivia). The Salar itself was covered in a foot of water and reflected the sky without end in every direction. Even the gaggle of tourists staging trick photos and drinking fanta at little folding tables couldn't spoil the obscenely beautiful view. Apparently, no corner of South America is beyond the reach of the tentacles of the Coca Cola Corp. Of course, we'd be lying if we said the fanta wasn't extremely refreshing.

Note: 6 of the pics below were taken by Alex. Thanks, man!

John in a train graveyard outside of Uyuni. (When we asked John about his vest and hat he regaled us with the many benefits of travelling in leather. Take that Quick Dry.)

Playing on the Salar.